The Valley of the Kings and the tombs of the nobles are, together witht the pyramids of Giza, the most visited and best-known archaelogical sites in Egypt. The tombs of Thebes are among the masterpieces of world art for the quality of their pictorial decorations, but unlike the Giza Pyramids, the tombs are extremely heterogeneous and their topograhy is complex and barely comprehensible for hasty tourists who find themselves being rushed from one tomb to another, often receiving fanciful or very scanty explanations. The Illustrated Guide to the Valley of the Kings presents for the first time the whole archaelogical area of the Theban necropolis, making use of topographical maps and reliefs prepared especially for this work, and setting out updated and scientifically accurate data, previously out of the reach of non-Egyptologists. For the first time, each tomb is described in a concise yet detailed manner, with a plan on which the most important or interesting mural paintings are shown. The Theban temples are also explained point by point in their architectural structures and decorations through numerous topographical plans. The guide also provides walking itineraries in the Theban mountains, with a map of routes that allow the visitor not only to see Thebes’ monuments from unusal points of view, but also to explore new and surprising spots: prehistoric sites, rock temples, graffiti of the pharaonic era, huts and villages where the ancient craftsmen used to live, and rock quarries from which the colors used for the decoration of the tombs were extracted. The guide includes a glossary of technical terms and names of divinities.

Alberto Siliotti is a scientific journalist who specializes in Egyptology. He has written several popular books including The Discovery of Ancient Egypt (AUC Press, 1998) and The Illustrated Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt (AUC Press, 2003).